Tag: WWE

Backstage News On WWE Hiring Paul Heyman And Eric Bischoff, Former TNA Employees “Baffled”, TV Roles

As noted, WWE has hired Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman to work as Executive Directors of RAW and SmackDown. Bischoff will head up the blue brand while Heyman will run the red brand, and both will report directly to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Below is a new WWE Now video with Cathy Kelley looking at the buzz surrounding the latest WWE creative shake-up. While this is not currently planned to be a part of any storyline, the WWE website did cover the announcement after WWE issued their press release to us and other media outlets. The story was originally reported by Sports Illustrated, and has since been picked up by some mainstream media. The story is currently the featured article on the WWE website.

It’s possible we see significant creative changes to RAW and SmackDown as soon as Monday and Tuesday as Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that he’s heard Bischoff and Heyman will begin their new roles immediately. It’s unknown if that means right now or next week, or soon after, but we should have an update on when they are starting soon. Meltzer also noted that Fox officials had no idea that the Executive Director hires were coming, but it was indicated that they did want to work with Heyman.

“I do know the Fox people had no idea this was coming… but they wanted the other guy,” Meltzer said.

Bischoff will be working closely with Fox officials as the blue brand prepares to premiere on Fox Friday nights in October.

On a related note, Bischoff’s full-time return to WWE has surprised a lot of people. Meltzer noted that people who worked with Bischoff in TNA, that are working with WWE now, were more than baffled by the news.

It looks like the former WCW President will continue to be involved with his “83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff” podcast. John Pollock noted on Twitter that there will be “no change” regarding Bischoff and the podcast, which features Starrcast founder Conrad Thompson as the co-host. The podcast takes a weekly look at Bischoff’s time in the business, mainly in WCW. It will be interesting to see if the podcast continues as Bischoff gets settled into his new gig with WWE.

Heyman and WWE just recently came to terms on the new role but they have been going back and forth on the new deal for a long time, according to PWInsider. The former ECW boss has been in WWE’s inner circle when it comes to the creative process for some time, but without an official title. That changes with the announcement. We noted earlier how WWE has been pursuing Heyman to officially sign on to work in their corporate circles since February. An offer was made to Heyman to work as a full-time member of the creative process back around the same time Bruce Prichard was brought back as a Senior Vice President. The talks were slowly progressing, and just recently finalized. It’s no secret that Heyman had been working creatively on storylines involving Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, but he has also been working on material for Alexa Bliss and many others, long before the talks.

Regarding Bischoff’s return, WWE looked at his previous work with Turner Broadcasting, Spike and other networks in building past TV series, and that was one of the reasons they hired him for the role, according to PWInsider. The deal with Bischoff was inked within the last few weeks.

As noted, while they will still report to Vince, Heyman and Bischoff will essentially be running RAW and SmackDown. One source compared the new roles to Triple H’s role in WWE NXT, in that they will be in charge, but this is still Vince’s company and he still has the final say-so. There’s no word yet on how Triple H and others will factor into this shake-up.

Heyman is expected to continue his TV role as the mouthpiece for Lesnar. Despite this not being a part of any TV storyline as of now, there’s obvious speculation on when we will see Bischoff return to TV, if he’s brought back at all, given how he’s always done well in those character roles.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kenny Omega Strongly Criticizes WWE For Streaming Evolve Show Opposite AEW Fight For The Fallen

WWE announced yesterday that the WWE Network will stream EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. It will air as the EVOLVE 131 event, on Saturday, July 13 from the former ECW Arena, the 2300 Arena, in Philadelphia, PA. . The special will feature WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Akira Tozawa with the title on the line, Matt Riddle vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak in a non-title match. The event will also feature NXT’s Arturo Ruas (Adrian Jaoude) and Babatunde, plus EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory and EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy. A full line-up of matches will be announced soon.

“Evolve was the birthplace for many current WWE and NXT Superstars so it is only fitting that their 10th Anniversary Celebration will be showcased live on WWE Network,” Triple H said.

WWE began their working relationship and talent exchange with WWN Live’s EVOLVE promotion back in 2015. Booker Gabe Sapolsky now works behind-the-scenes for NXT and the WWE Performance Center.

Many fans have pointed to how the WWE Network EVOLVE stream is airing on the same night as AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event from Jacksonville, FL. This event will have a portion of the proceeds donated to victims of gun violence.

It should be noted that the EVOLVE 131 date was first announced back in mid-May. We don’t know when WWE began negotiating for the livestream. AEW first announced the details on Fight for the Fallen during the first week of March.

AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has fans talking on social media today after a tweet he made on the EVOLVE – WWE special. He apparently called out WWE for working with Saudi Arabia.

“If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick,” Omega wrote.

Omega has deleted his original tweet that apparently knocked WWE for their working relationship with the Saudis. His new tweet, also seen below, reads like this: “I’ve said my piece and it opened the door to a very toxic environment. It wasn’t a message to fans, or the boys, just the decision makers. I wish everyone wrestling on any show that day all the best. That is all.”

You can see Omega’s full tweets below:

If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick.

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 26, 2019

https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/1143980930203312133

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1143954386592423937

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Stomping Grounds Reportedly Draws Record Low Pay-Per-View Buys

Sunday’s WWE Stomping Grounds pay-per-view reportedly did an estimated 9,800 pay-per-view buys in the United States, according to Wrestling Observer Radio.

This would be a record-low number of buys for a WWE pay-per-view in this era. The previous low in the current era would have been 11,000 buys, reportedly for the recent WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view from Saudi Arabia.

It should be noted that almost no one buys WWE pay-per-view events these days due to the WWE Network, but around 10% of the viewership still buys them on traditional pay-per-view platforms. WWE pay-per-view events average around 15-16,000 buys in this era, with some of the bigger events doing around 20,000. WrestleMania 35 reportedly drew around 100,000 buys this past April.

The low number of Stomping Grounds pay-per-view buys just adds to the overall bad numbers for the first-ever event under that name. We noted before how around half of the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA was curtained off due to bad attendance. While there was a decent line for walk-up tickets on the day of the show, a lot of free tickets were given out on the day of the event and many 2-for-1 deals were sold. An estimated 6,000 fans attended Stomping Grounds, which would have been one of the smallest WWE pay-per-view crowds in a long time. The paid attendance for the pay-per-view was said to be around 4,000 – 4,500 fans, and the Tacoma Dome can hold around 18,000 fans after production.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Names Eric Bischoff And Paul Heyman As New Executive Directors Of RAW And SmackDown

WWE has named Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman as Executive Directors.

Bischoff is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE SmackDown while Heyman is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE RAW. Both will report directly to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

The new roles are full-time executive roles. According to Sports Illustrated, there are no current plans for these roles to be introduced as part of a TV storyline.

Bischoff will also work directly with Fox executives as the blue brand plans to premiere on Fox Friday nights in October, SI reported.

The major move will allow WWE to establish “two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.”

Below is the full press release that WWE sent Wrestling Inc.:

WWE® NAMES PAUL HEYMAN AND ERIC BISCHOFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORSStamford, Conn., June 27, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it has named Paul Heyman as Executive Director of Monday Night Raw and Eric Bischoff as Executive Director of SmackDown Live, newly created positions reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business. The creation of these roles further establishes WWE’s ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.

With more than 30 years of experience in the sports entertainment industry, Heyman served as President of ECW from 1993-2001, securing pay-per-view distribution for the company as well as a national cable television deal with TNN. After his time with ECW, Heyman joined WWE’s Creative team and is widely credited with helping launch the careers of many current and former WWE Superstars.

Bischoff is a former WCW President and New York Times bestselling author. During his WCW career, Bischoff oversaw the signing of some of the biggest names in sports entertainment and helped create and develop the NWO storyline. He was also instrumental in securing a television deal for WCW Monday Nitro on TNT and WCW Thunder on TBS. After WCW, Bischoff co-founded Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, a production company that launched TV reality shows and mobile games.

PWInsider reports that WWE has been talking to Heyman about the new role as far back as February of this year. The deal with Bischoff came together within the past few weeks.

WWE reportedly made an offer to Heyman to come on full-time as a top member of the creative team around the same time Bruce Prichard was hired as Senior Vice President a few months ago. Heyman has been working on various storylines and with certain talents for months now, including Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey.

Bischoff has been working on pre-production of Netflix’s planned biography on WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, and had a number of personal appearances booked. He likely came to terms with WWE over the last week as he started quietly canceling some of personal appearances.

While Bischoff and Heyman are still reporting to Vince, they are essentially running RAW and SmackDown now. It will be interesting to see how Triple H and others factor in to this latest creative shake-up.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Fox Wanting Jerry “The King” Lawler To Work On Their WWE FS1 Studio Show

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler could be one of the hosts of the WWE studio show that is scheduled to begin airing on FS1 later this year, according to a new report from @Wrestlevotes.

The report noted that Fox officials have floated the idea of Lawler being a main part of the show to WWE. The feeling is that Lawler’s image and voice will be familiar to fans, something Fox is looking for, likely to help bring viewers back to the product.

There’s no word yet on who might work with Lawler to host the show, but it was recently reported that Renee Young was “highly likely” to land the role of host.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently revealed that a Fox executive wanted to bring him in as a host of the FS1 show, but that was before he parted ways with the company and signed with AEW.

Triple H revealed back in April that the weekly WWE studio show will air on Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday nights, beginning in the fall. This will be the second WWE-Fox show as SmackDown begins airing Friday nights on the Fox broadcast network on October 4.

The studio show on FS1 will feature discussions on the various WWE happenings, plus appearances by familiar faces from the past and present, according to Triple H. He also said this is something he’s wanted to do for a long time. Below is the clip from April where he revealed the show:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jinder Mahal Signs New Multi-Year WWE Contract

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Jinder Mahal recently inked a new WWE contract. Multiple sources confirm his new deal is 5-years in length.

Jinder made his return to WWE in 2016 after being gone from the company for 2 years. He went on to win the WWE title in 2017, the first of Indian descent to do so, and held onto the belt for 170 days.

As of late, he’s been involved in the 24/7 Championship scene with R-Truth and others.

Mojo Rawley, Mike Kannellis and Maria Kannellis also recently signed new multi-year WWE contracts.

 

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 6/25/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon with fallout from WWE Stomping Grounds.

* How will Kofi Kingston react to Samoa Joe’s attack?

* Who will be next to step up to Bayley?

* Has Bryan & Rowan’s tag team revolution hit a roadblock?

* How will Shane-O-Mac & McIntyre react to The Undertaker’s return?

Backstage Talk On Rusev’s WWE Contract Status And Hiatus

Rusev’s WWE contract is reportedly expiring relatively soon, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

There’s no word yet on if Rusev is interested in leaving WWE, but it would not come as a surprise to many as it’s believed that he is unhappy with his position in the company due to some of his comments in media interviews and on social media.

Rusev is currently away from WWE as he recently requested some time off. There’s no word yet on when he will be back, but it’s likely just a short hiatus. Meltzer speculated that the hiatus has to do with Rusev being unhappy. It was also speculated that WWE could extend the length of the contract due to the time off by freezing it, which they do when a talent is out of action with an injury.

Rusev would obviously generate interest from some of the top wrestling promotions, including AEW and NJPW, as was speculated by Meltzer, but that’s not confirmed. Depending on Lana’s contract status and future with WWE, there is also the potential for the Rusev – Lana package deal in other promotions.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker Makes Surprise Appearance On RAW (Video), Set For Match At WWE Extreme Rules

The Undertaker made a surprise appearance last night on WWE RAW.

Taker made the save for Roman Reigns as he was being double teamed by Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in their 2-on-1 Handicap Match. The crowd loudly cheered Taker on, for one of the loudest RAW pops in recent memory, as he chokeslammed Shane and dropped Drew. Taker would continue the attack on Shane and Drew before sending them retreating up the ramp.

There was no interaction besides Taker and Reigns, but Taker did briefly look down at Reigns as he recovered in the corner. The segment ended by going to commercial as Shane and Drew looked on from the ramp, shocked at The Dead Man’s return.

Later it was announced that The Undertaker will be returning to the ring at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Taker will team with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre.

The 2019 WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view will take place on July 14 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Below is the updated card:

Winners Take All
Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin vs. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins (c)

The Undertaker and Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 6/24/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington with the fallout from Sunday’s Stomping Grounds pay-per-view.

* Roman Reigns to battle Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

* United States Champion Ricochet to battle AJ Styles tonight

* Seth Rollins’ Universal challenges

* The Man might not be finished with The Lady in the aftermath of WWE Stomping Grounds